Ted Knight (Earth-1938)
Origin Ted Knight was born to two Romani immigrants in Opal, Rhode Island. The Knight family didn't have much money but, they love each other very dearly. Ted was a quiet child, terribly shy and always lost in his old mind. In contrast, his sister Sandra, only older by a year, was extremely outgoing and adventurous. Despite their opposite personalities, Ted and Sandra were absolutely inseparable. Ted became more interested in engineering as he got older, even getting into college at sixteen. While Ted was gone at college, Sandra discovered a mobster was trying to shake down their father for money. Sandra convinced Ted that they needed to do something. Ted informed his sister that he discovered strange matter that came from the sky while hicking one night. The matter was lighter than air and could turn invisible when place. Ted was going to give the matter to his university but, was willing to sell it if could help their father. Sandra had another idea. For the past few years, costumed heroes had appeared, fighting crime and saving people. Sandra wanted to use the matter to become a superhero. Ted flatly refused when Sandra asked him to help her. He didn't want his sister to get hurt and thought the hero business would just make more problems for their family. Even Sandra's instance that she would do it herself didn't move Ted. However, Ted came to the family's store to see two thugs harassing his parents for money. The fear and pain of his parents' face enraged the usually mild-mannered Ted. He came to Sandra and said that he would help her, on the condition he would be her partner. Astral Avenger For the next few weeks, Ted and Sandra worked on devices that would allow them to use the star-matter, as Ted called it. Together, they created the Cosmic Rod, which allowed the user to fly and Blacklight Bands, that turned the user invisible on command. Sandra chose the Blacklight Bands while Ted was set on the Cosmic Rod. On Sandra's instance, they made costumes and picked codenames. Ted had always loved astronomy so when given the ability to fly, he picked the name, Starman. Ted and Sandra, who had picked the name, Phantom Lady, went to the mobster's hideout. While Ted battled the mobster's goons, Sandra attacked their leader directly. After a long fight, the new superheroes were victorious. Sandra expressed a desire to coutinue being heroes and Ted admitted that he also enjoyed saving the day. Soon, Starman and Phantom Lady became the protectors of Opal. Ted would handle large-scale crimes like bank robberies while Sandra sabotaged gangsters and prevented crimes like assaults and home invasions. Together, they kept Opal safe from all types of crime. The siblings worked as a pair for a couple of years before encountering other heroes. Justice Society members, Doctor Midnight and Sandman were chasing the superpowered serial killer, the Mist. The Mist came to Opal, starting a new reign of terror. The two pairs of heroes soon met up while trying to catch the Mist on their own. They agreed to work together to stop the killer. They tracked the Mist down to his former home and ambushed him. Ted gave the villain the finishing blow, tricking him into an air-tight box and locking him in. Doctor Midnight and Sandman were impressed with the skills and intelligence of the two younger heroes. They offered them membership to the JSA. Both happily accepted. Home Alone While Ted and Sandra were a team for years, Sandra found herself wanting to see the world. She decided to leave Opal to travel. Sandra vowed that she would return if Ted ever needed her again. Ted was very sad to his sister go but, he knew that she was happier that way. Still, Ted was worried about being a truly solo hero for the first time. Suddenly taking on all the crime in Opal took a toll on Ted. He considered calling Sandra and asking her to come back. However, Ted decided to fight smarter, taking cues from his sister while keeping his own fighting style. Ted came into his own as a superhero, the Star of Opal. Ted began to work at the local planetarium while protecting Opal from disasters. He met a fellow scientist at the planetarium, Adele Lee. Ted and Adele developed feelings for each other but, Ted was relucent to date because he felt bad about keeping her in the dark about Starman. During this time, Ted began working on upgrading the Cosmic Rod. Working with the JSA, Ted helped improve their gear. Ted even became a mentor to a young hero named Star-Spangled Kid, working with him to make a version of the Cosmic Rod. Ted loved being a superhero but, a war shook his whole world view. Star Fall In 1980, an alien force invaded Earth. Ted and the rest of the Justice Society did battle with this army but, they needed help. They joined the World Army, the combined militaries of Earth. Ted worked with engineers to create advanced gear for regular soldiers. Sandra had joined the Freedom Fights that went up against Parademons with little back-up, something that stressed Ted to no end. Things got worse when Star-Spangled Kid was killed in action. Ted was horrified by this, feeling he contributed to the teenager's death. In the final battle, Ted joined his fellow JSA members in attempting to disarm a nuclear bomb that was guarded by hundreds of Parademons. During the intense battle, Ted got knocked out. While Ted unconscious, Doctor Midnight realized that the bomb was about to go. He grabbed the Cosmic Rod and flew to it. Ted awoke to the sight of his best friend about to blast the Cosmic Rod at full-power. Ted yelled that if Doctor Midnight blew the controls for the bomb, he would die. Doctor Midnight smiled sadly and asked Ted to his wife that he loved her. Doctor Midnight disabled the bomb at the cost of his own life. Ted held his friend as he died. The war was won but, at a great cost. The deaths of Star-Spangled Kid and Doctor Midnight haunted Ted. He could no longer look at the Cosmic Rod without seeing their blood on it. Ted decided to stop being Starman. He confessed to this Adele. To Ted's surprise, Adele understood his reasoning. They began dating and soon married. One night, after helping a pregnant Adele make dinner, Ted answer the door. It was Sandra. Ted hadn't seen her since the war ended two years ago. He had assumed she came to chaise him for giving up being hero. He definitely didn't expect Sandra to come with a toddler in her arms. A New Knight Ted and Adele had two sons, David and Jack. Sandra often came to visit with her daughter, Kate. It didn't know to find amusing or frighting that Jack and Kate's relationship mirrored the one he had with Sandra when they were younger. Sandra and Ted had talked a long time about what happened during the war. They supported each other, they soon became close again. The siblings were open about their past as heroes to their immediate family. Ted's sons and his niece were, of course, thrilled with this. David and Jack often fought over who would play Starman when they played heroes with Kate, much to Ted's secret pride. Ted began to wonder if he should train Jack to be the next Starman. Unlike David, Jack's awe of his father's past never faded. If anything, it seemed to get stronger over the years. Even if Ted's blood-stained were able to hold the Cosmic Rod, perhaps his son could. Then, Adele got cancer. She fought hard but, ultimately passed away. Ted was heartbroken and his sons were a wreck, especially Jack. Ted's relationship with his younger son deteriorated to the point where Jack all but, disowned his father and the Starman legacy. Ted was deeply saddened by the estrangement but, was too proud to reach out to Jack. Ted accepted he would be the last and only Starman. Besides, a new era of heroes had begun. Ted told himself the world didn't need another superhero. Then, David came to Ted, asking him to train him to be the next Starman. David had watched the newly formed Justice League stop an alien invasion and felt inspired. Ted was hesitant to train his more aggressive son but, David pleasantly surprised him. Ted was proud of David and was even beginning to fix his relationship with Ted. However, an old enemy had returned to Opal, looking for revenge on Ted. Stars Above The Mist, suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's, recruited his two children to take revenge on Starman. The Mist found Ted's secret identity out and went after his family, especially since he could not locate Sandra. The Mist's son shot David, murdering the young hero. Then, he had both Ted's planetarium and Jack's antique store. Ted and Jack survived the attempts on their lives. Jack recluntally assumed the mantle of Starman and defeated the Mist family. Ted became a mentor to his son, with Ted apologizing for being on hard on Jack earlier. For the next couple of years, Ted and Jack worked together to make Opal better. Then, Jack discovered he was the father of the grandchild of the Mist. Jack recovered his son and began to take care of him. Jack told Ted he was thinking about giving up being Starman to take better care of his son. While he expected his father to be angry or disappointed, Ted was totally accepting. The first Starman's career ended because of guilt, the second's because of death. It would nice if the third's ended because of love. Still, Ted wanted Opal to have a proctor. Kate, who had taken the mantle of the hero Manhunter, decided to move there. Jack also passed on the Cosmic Rod(now called the Cosmic Staff), to the new Star-Spangled Kid. Ted finally found some peace with his past. He currently lives Jack, his daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in San Francisco. Abilities Ted had possessed Cosmic Rod, his own invention powered by a mysterious matter that came from the night sky. The could manipulate gravity, so Ted and anyone else holding it could fly. ''' He later modified the Rod so it could project '''energy blasts and emit intense heat at the top of it. Ted is a brilliant engineer and is very knowledgeable about astrophysics. ''Trivia '' -Ted was born on April 16, 1956. -He became Starman in 1976. -Ted is a year younger than Sandra. -The matter that powers the Cosmic Rod and the Black Light Bands turned out to be discarded fuel from a spaceship that came from the planet Talok III. -He and Sandra have special nicknames for each. Ted calls Sandra "Stormy" and she calls him "Theo. -Ted's younger brother, Henry, became a senator and married a widowed woman named Doris. He learned at their wedding that Doris's deceased husband was the brother of Ted's JSA teammate Rex Tyler AKA Hourmen. He learned this when the elder Knight siblings ran into Rex during the wedding. It was a very awkward reception. Category:Created by MaysileeAurlis Category:Earth-1938 Category:Earth-1938 Characters Category:Heroes Category:Justice Society (Earth-1938) Category:World Army (Earth-1938) Category:Gifted Intelligence Category:Flight